A long-time racecourse steward, Jockey Club member and
Classic-winning breeder, Lord Grimthorpe, born Christopher John Beckett,
died peacefully on Sunday.

The father of Teddy Beckett, racing manager to Khalid

Abdullah and heir to the family title, and uncle of trainer Ralph
Beckett, Grimthorpe

re-established Westow Hall in North Yorkshire as a stud in 1965 and
bred Mrs McArdy, the Mick Easterby-trained winner of the 1977 1,000
Guineas.

Elected to the Jockey Club in 1979 and also a long-serving
racecourse steward at a number of Yorkshire tracks, Grimthorpe - whose
father owned Fortina, winner of the 1947 Chelten- ham Gold Cup - had
been a

director of Thirsk since 1972.

Also known as a shrewd punter, Grimthorpe was a briga-dier with the
Ninth Lancers, and in later life was a director of a number of
companies.

Easterby, who trained many of Grimthorpe's horses, yesterday
described him as an "unbelievably wonderful man".

He added: "I've known him all my life and I can honestly
say he was one of the greatest. He was a marvellously good sport who
loved a punt and always lived life on a high."

A private funeral will be

followed by a service of thanksgiving in York Minster on Wednesday.

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